Repeating the Past
by Lastchaos Darknoman
Summary: Tal and Milla are back in the dark world. It has been 5 years since the events of Sharrakor and the war in the castle. Milla is still War-Chief and Tal is now Emperor. What adventures await them this time?
1. Tal's Decision

Prologue

It has been five years since the events of Sharrakor and the war in the castle. We find our protagonists Tal and Milla in a tight spot. They are slowly realizing their feelings for each other but, due to cultural differences it is harder than normal. The ice is changing; the melting after the veil was temporarily devastating to all clans as herds of selski migrated causing competition between clans. Milla has since then resolved all issues and all is well. For a while at least. A faction is rising on the ice, one that does not agree with the alliance with the people in the castle. Milla and Tal find this faction early on but do not realize what it is yet. Inside the castle tempers are running high. Prejudice from the Chosen is causing tension between the Icecarls and Chosen. Can Tal and Milla defeat the threat out on the ice and keep their two cultures from tearing each other apart? Find out inside.

Tal's Decision

The day was bright and warm for all that dwelled in the castle, even under the veil. There was one however that with each passing day felt the world grow dark and cold. This person was none other the Emperor of the castle dwellers himself, Tal Graile-Rerem.

When not dealing with the business of the castle, Tal retired to his room in the Violet halls. It has been five years since the war of the castle and the defeat of Sharrakor. The last time he had seen the one person who was with him through the whole series of events was at his official coronation.

Though there was some that felt including the Icecarls in the ceremony was ludicrous and should not be allowed; Tal proclaimed that anyone who defied letting the people of his friend who helped him defeat Sharrakor to not be present would be stripped of their rank and sunstones and cast out onto the ice. This was needed to demonstrate the punishment of those who did not want to become allies with the people out on the ice.

The peace treaty was signed shortly after his coronation to signify the alliance of the people of the castle and the Icecarls. Though how noticeably weak the treaty was, both sides punished those who did not obey the treaty harshly. After an uprising of various Chosen "rabble-rousers" as Ebbitt would call them, and many assassination attempts, Tal went out alone to try and create peace where there was none.

Once finding the Emperor missing the royal guard set out to find him, and find him they did. He had no injuries, but he looked as if a Red Ray of Destruction had pierced his heart. His imperial robes were soaked with blood, his face was white with exhaustion and disgust, and there were bodies thrown all over the once Freefolk Fortress.

When they found the young Emperor, (after much help from Ebbitt with the Codex) the royal guard was stunned at the scene. There was the smell of burning flesh in the air, the once white marble floor was stained with blood and littered with various body parts. From what the carnage looked like, it seemed that a small war went on in the cavern. However the guards knew better, they counted upwards of twenty bodies but there were extra body parts strewn about giving the idea that the count was actually higher. They started to fear the young Emperor; these rebel chosen were not a bunch of pushovers. Many were established light mages in their own orders, some even belonging to the Violet order. Though they could see the mental and physical exhaustion, there was no damage to the Emperor. He came out of that battle unscathed; their Emperor was very strong indeed.

This was one of the thoughts that still haunted him to this day. He can still see the faces of the assassins as they were struck down one by one. He knew most of them from his childhood, how could they rise and fight against him. But, he has always been fighting, ever since he fell from the red tower when he was thirteen. It was then he started having to fight for his life, with the first being Milla.

"Milla" he said out loud even startling himself while slumped against his bed frame. He wondered if she remembered him being the busy War-Chief of the Icecarls she probably didn't have time to.

"Of course she did" Tal reassured himself. With what they had been through together how could she have? He still remembered her face when she first pulled her mask up. Even though still young and not even being interested in girls yet (or so he thought) he felt his heart skip a beat. He remembered seeing a young girl the same age as he with ash blond hair and striking emerald eyes. Those eyes he will remember for as long as he lives as they taunt his dreams and thoughts of things that are impossible to become.

He wondered if she was experiencing the same boredom he was.

"No" he told himself trying to shake the thoughts away. He was the Emperor for lights sake. The most respected person among the people of the castle. He should be thinking more of his duty to his people more than himself. As he continued to try to push the thoughts away he believed the only way to escape them was to bury himself under his own work, how wrong he was.

He moved over to the white stone desk inlayed with fragmented keystones that gave it a faint glow and sat down in the soft chair behind it. Picking up his quill and moving the ink cauldron over to his side, his vision focused on a crumpled piece of paper with a name on it. As he focused more on the words an audible groan came from deep inside. In frustration he launched the quill across the room and stood up with a force to slide his chair against the wall. He knew as soon as he saw the piece of paper that there was only one way to escape his thoughts now.

As he moved out and opened the door he thought to himself "Why did it have to be that name on the paper?" as he sighed and closed the door he said in a whisper "Milla."

Tal knew he had to leave the castle; there were too many signs to ignore. He could feel it deep inside that if he did not leave today something bad was going to happen.

"Ranil, order a meeting of the Spectrum Court immediately in the meeting hall outside of the throne room" Tal said as he walked past the guard in the hallway.

"Right away sire" Ranil replied already moving down the hallway. Tal knew it would not be easy to convince the Spectrum Court to allow him to leave the castle, especially with his father being the orange keystone holder. With that he rushed straight to the meeting hall.

"Where are they" Tal seethed with anger as he checked the time on the Violet keystone for the 12th time that hour. When suddenly the doors started to open as the Spectrum court began to file into their respective seats.

Tal immediately stopped pacing back and forth in front of his chair and conjured up his best imperial mask as soon as he heard the door creak. It's metal hinges squeaked as it opened and Tal made a mental note t o have them greased as soon as he was back.

"WHAT!" Roared Rerem as his sunstone on his hand glowed bright. As the other members of the court looked at Tal with confusion, Rerem's eyes glowed with a spiteful glare. Tal expecting this, was prepared and did not break his imperial façade. He could see where his father came from. It is not every day when the Emperor, the leader everyone looked to for guidance said that he needed to take a leave of absence.

"Rerem," Tal started, being careful to stay professional with his father. "I understand why you feel as you do now. I know you believe it is not wise to leave the castle suddenly on an instinct. But, I feel betrayed; you should know that I have relied on my instinct since you were lost to me, imprisoned in the orange keystone. On instinct I sought out to protect the family, on instinct I tried to procure a sunstone, on instinct I scaled the red tower to get a sunstone for our family. As I was battling the cold and trying to survive the ice outside the castle I relied on my instinct to carry me forward, I trusted it and look where it got me. I am a living legend!" with each sentence his voice growing louder and more commanding."I with the help of people I met on my journey defeated the spirit overlord Sharrakor and restored the veil saving the dark world. It was with this I became Emperor of the Chosen to lead my people into a new era of peace and reform; and it is with this I am sitting here before you today. Now I ask you why not as an Emperor, but as a son, why do you lack trust."

The anger and light fell from Rerem's eyes as he cast his gaze towards the chiseled crystal table. He knew his son was right. They had to trust he was doing the right thing.

"The Emperor is correct" proclaimed Rerem to the court. "We must trust our Emperor's instincts as he has not lead us astray. I now call for silence on this matter. This is not to leave this room, anyone caught doing so will be stripped of their title and respective keystone, and will stand trial when the Emperor returns."

Other than a few mumbles around the room the court agreed fully and trusted their young leader. They knew to be a leader you needed strong instincts.

"With that I leave the castle in your hands, however, there is to be no major changes to anything. I trust that you Rerem will uphold this." Tal proclaimed as he cast a glance and a quick smirk at his father. "If a major decision needs to be made head directly to the Icecarl embassy, they will know how to contact me."

After a final glance around the courtroom Tal announced "You are dismissed," and gave them light from his keystone as they returned the gesture.

Tal closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. But, he could still feel eyes looking at him. He opened them to see his father still sitting at the table and he knew their conversation was not over.

"Now Tal I'll speak to you as a father, not as a representative of some court." Rerem began with authority in his voice. "I trust you fully with this decision, however you know better than anyone else of the dangers out on the ice. We do not have true peace outside the walls of this castle. There are still clans of the Icecarls that carry hatred of us, and I will not stand for you to risk your life for some 'savage'." The words seemed to spill out of his mouth. "So I ask you not as an advisor, but as a father to be careful, and to not do anything reckless. Your people still need you."

"They are not savages!" Tal screamed but to him it only sounded like a whisper. I will not stand for any talk making them seem like a lower species than us! If you do so again I will cast you out of the castle, even being my father! I understand what you are feeling, but I will not stand for prejudice in this castle. I have worked hard for peace. I will not let some arrogant citizen under my rule undo what I have worked so hard for to create. How can there be trust and peace between our two cultures if we do not think of them as equals? I will do what I have to do out on the ice even if it means dying for this peace. If I do return I will guide the people of this castle and those of the ice towards the future." Tal finished ranting noticing a dark purple glow coming from his sunstone. "Dark take it" Tal thought. I should be able to control myself better than that.

"You have many ideas for a young emperor." Rerem started "But, just a few threats will not stop the prejudice and hate we feel towards the Icecarls. If you want me to stop hating them find a reason for me to. Until then they will always be lower than us," Rerem finished being mindful to not use the word savage. With that said Rerem turned and left the room leaving his son with a face growing redder than the most powerful Red Ray of Destruction.

"Well that went easier than I thought it would." Tal thought "But how could father feel that way, oh well that will be a bridge to cross when I come to it."Now Tal needed to find a way how he was going to find Milla. She could be on the other side of the ice as far as he knew. After a second an idea struck him. Why did he not think of this before? There was an Icecarl embassy inside the castle full of crones and they could locate Milla easily for him. Without a second thought Tal ran to the laundry shoot on Violet seven and rode it all the way down to Red seven. He then ran toward the embassy as fast as he could. Slowing before he reached the doors clearly marked with Chosen script and Icecarl runes that signified the embassy, he took a deep breath to compose himself and walked in.

To Tal's surprise there were only a few crones at the embassy. He wondered where they were for a second but immediately got back to the task at hand. He walked up to the crone he knew as Yale. She owed him a favor for saving her from embarrassment in front of the other crones when she arrived from the Ruin ship.

Yale was surprised when she saw the Emperor walking toward her. She knew that he must be up to something since he was at the embassy for no particular reason. But, automatically she saluted his entrance with a clasp of her knuckles and he replied in turn with the same. He motioned for her to walk to a more secluded area and she reluctantly followed.

She could not believe his request. He wanted her to tell the Ruin ship that he was on his way and to prepare heavy furs and a sleigh for him. She was going to argue but even before she could start he stopped her.

"Yale I ask this in return of the favor you owe me." He started. "I know you have many questions but this is something necessary. I have already consulted with the Spectrum Court and wish to leave immediately."

She wondered why but, as asked her eyes grew bright as she told the crones at the Ruin Ship the news. After a minute of quiet her eyes faded and she turned back to Tal.

"They are expecting you. The items requested will be ready as you arrive." She told him still overflowing with curiosity.

"Thank you Yale." He started as he turned to leave, but then quickly turned back to her. "I need to ask you one more favor." He said sheepishly "Can you tell me where Mil..I mean the War-Chief is at currently?"

It was then she knew why he was going and gave him a smile that seemed to mock him. Her eyes grew bright once more; however, it was only for a few seconds this time.

"She is three sleeps South by South-West of the Ruin Ship, when you arrive ask the Shield Maidens to point you in the right direction. Yale said with a slight amusement to her voice.

"Thank you Yale, you do not know how much this means to me." Exclaimed Tal as he clasped his knuckles in salute. 

"Oh, I think I do."Yale said matter-of-factly, with a mischievous smile and wink.

Tal didn't catch the wink as he was already out of the embassy door and off to his secret exit to the castle. He was glad that his great-uncle Ebbitt found the ages old escape route right near the Icecarl Embassy. This would make an easy and silent escape to the Ruin Ship.

It was much colder Tal thought since the last time he had been out on the ice. But, once he released a wave of warmth from his sunstone he felt much better. As he neared the Ruin Ship Shield Maidens came out spears high, but as they recognized the Emperor they lowered them and guided him to where he can change and get a bite to eat before he set off. They all wondered why the Emperor of half of the world came to the Ruin Ship by himself and prepared to go out farther into the ice.

When prepared and full he mounted the sleigh that was prepared for him. It was just like the sleigh they had took when leaving the Far Raiders clan and set out on their destinies. He smiled underneath his mask as he remembered how Milla controlled the sleigh. He noticed a strange feeling of holes being burned in the back of his head right before he was about to start off. Slowly he turned around to find a young shield maiden looking at him.

"Yes?" He asked looking straight at her and lifting up his mask. She seemed confused at first and started to turn, but he could tell there was something she wanted to ask.

"If you would like to ask something, ask it." Tal commanded with his most Emperor-like tone. This seemed to snap her back into focus.

"Well, your highness I just have the question if you have ever steered a sleigh pulled by wreska before?" The young Shield Maiden said confidently.

"Just between you and me," Tal started softly "I have not. But, I do not have time to walk to my destination, nor do I have time to learn so I figure I just have to hope for the best. By the way I have a few questions for you. First what is your name?" He finished with his commanding voice back.

"Breg," she replied calmly. "What is it you ask of me?"

"Well I just need you to point me in the right direction. Can you tell me what way is South by South-West?"Tal asked

With a point Breg gave him the direction he must go. Locking eyes on target and memorizing which way he felt he was pointed, he felt ready to leave. With a wink and a clasp of knuckles he thanked Breg, and without losing a second pulled his mask back down over his face so the amber lenses gave everything a yellow hue. Without a second thought he let out a loud yip and cracked the reins. The sleigh started slowly but continued to pick up speed as he left the young Shield Maiden and the Ruin Ship behind with only one thing on his mind.

Surprised he even knew how to start Breg smiled and pulled her mask back down and thought "The War-Chief picked well."


	2. Kidnapping

Kidnapping

To Milla it had just been another day on the ice. Her life now dedicated to solving squabbles between clans. These squabbles were usually about intrusion of hunting grounds. This happened all over the ice always keeping Milla busy.

When the veil started to fail five years ago with the whole events of Sharrakor and the battle in the castle, the heat from the sun that got through the veil started to melt the ice changing selski migration and the usual old selski that were hunted by the clans of the Icecarls fell through the ice leaving food scarce. These events developed into what was happening now.

Even though trade between clans was increasing due to the necessities of food and fur, the disputes over hunting grounds sometimes got very heated and deadly. This was Milla and her crew's duty to stop.

She had been commissioned her own small ship named The Reckoner and filled it with the fiercest warriors she could find. She was accompanied by the crone Malen, who she already had known from her endeavors inside the castle and in the realm of Aenir. Malen accompanied her to keep her informed by the crones on where to travel for disputes.

Usually she got there before any fighting took place so she could use her authority as War-Chief to settle the dispute and find a way to fix the hunting grounds so that both clans can survive peacefully. But, in some instances she got there too late. Fighting had already sprung up and a side had to be chosen to stop the combat and preserve as many Icecarl lives as possible.

Settling disputes was not her only problem however. There are some that lie among the ice, usually outcasts and rogue Icecarls that do not like the alliance between the people of the castle and the Icecarls. When a group formed that was particularly hostile the crones informed her of it and she left to take care of it.

Lately however, the ice had been quiet. Most hunting grounds had been adjusted to accommodate all clans so that was not a problem anymore. The disturbing part was that of there being no reports of rogue Icecarl groups attacking clans and growing in strength.

This gave Milla and her band of warriors time to rest and wait for the next assignment. But most grew restless as for three weeks they sat following the selski migration as a normal clan would with nothing else to do.

This was frustrating to all but more to Milla than anyone else. She was young, closing in on her 20th circling on the ice. She did not want to sit and wait for action to happen in her life. She wanted to go out and find it just like she did all those years ago.

Slowly she felt a memory creep into her mind. It was not long before she observed it was a person and she strained to see who it was. It was Tal. Her heart almost skipped a beat. It was a memory of his coronation as Emperor of the castle. Right then a sudden emotion crept over her, loneliness. She missed Tal. She wondered how he was faring as Emperor. Then she wondered what he looked like. He was always good looking for his age for Icecarl standards and she felt like he could only grow more attractive as time wore on. It had been four years since she had seen him she thought as another emotion surfaced, longing.

Wait, why was she feeling this? She was War-Chief of all Icecarls. It is selfish of her to think of herself when she should be thinking about her clan and shipmates. She sighed as she walked over to the mirror. Then she noticed the change in herself. Her ash-blonde hair had grown long down to her waist, she had grown taller, as she turned sideways she noticed she was also becoming more feminine looking. She felt embarrassed looking at how her body was curved and her chest had grown.

Quickly thinking she pushed these thoughts out of her head and locked them away in the corner of her mind. This is not something an Icecarl should be thinking about. Quickly slipping the white ursek furs on and placing the bone circlet on her head Milla headed out of her cabin onto the deck.

It seemed like a dream. Most of the crew was out hunting and restocking supplies when they were attacked. The alarm was raised and all gathered to fight the new enemy.

"Who would dare attack the ship?" Milla thought "they must know that this ship carries the most skilled warriors on the ice."Even outnumbered it would still be hard to defeat the defenders led by Milla.

The battle was hard fought all defenders of the Reckoner taking on multiple enemies. Milla herself battled three at once. She was beating all those who opposed her back until she found herself surrounded. She knew there was little hope for her to survive, but she promised to take as many as she could with her.

Crouching down into her fighting stance with the sword in each hand being held defensively she roared a challenge at all that opposed her. Then all of a sudden a ball was at her feet. Looking down she noticed it was a bomb. She got a kick off at it but before it went out of range it exploded releasing toxic gas. Milla felt queasy as she inhaled some and in another instant was passed out. A large warrior stooped over and picked up her body as another blew a horn. Upon hearing the horn all attackers retreated back to their ship and quickly fled.

The warriors of the Reckoner believed they drove the enemy off and cried victory. It was then they noticed there was no sign of their fearless War-Chief. The enemy had taken her and fled before any of them had noticed.

Malen, who was healing the wounded, was quickly informed of the lost of their leader. Dropping what she was doing she contacted the crones of the Ruin Ship for help. But, she already knew there was no hope for a speedy recovery of Milla as they were a good three sleeps away from the Ruin Ship.

Tal was weary as he awoke from the third sleep of his travel. He had never been on a sleigh that long before and was not used to the weakness he felt in his legs. As he started cooking he cast a Blue Ray of Healing from the Violet keystone. By the time he was full his legs felt good as new. He packed up his cooking supplies and sleeping furs before going out and giving the wreska selski meat. It was then that he felt a twinge in his stomach and could not help but feeling he was too late.

With that he urged the wreska on as fast as they could go so he could make sure. Within a few hours he saw the small ship in the distance and noticed activity on the deck but none anywhere on the ice. That was strange he thought; usually when a ship is moored there are always people doing something.

An alarm was raised soon and before he knew it he was being stopped by a hand of ferocious looking Icecarls that looked like they had nothing to lose. He hoped he had found the correct ship. If not there was little hope of him getting away.

The Icecarls that stopped him took him up into the ship while his sleigh and wreska were pulled up alongside the ship. Once on deck Tal noticed a familiar face as he said out loud "Malen?"

When Malen heard her name her eyes immediately lost their glow as she broke contact with the collective of crones. She turned and saw an Icecarl standing still being watched by her crew. No, this was not an Icecarl, by the way he stood and from his voice she recognized immediately. "Tal?" she asked as he raised his mask. It was indeed him! How did he get here? Why did he come? Both of these questions were to be asked but she spied a quizzical look on his face.

"Where is Milla?" He asked but by the look in his eyes, somehow he already knew.

With an involuntary swallow Malen told him what had happened only a few hours ago. With growing disbelief and anger growing in his eyes she could tell he was going to do something brash. But she felt that even if she ordered all Icecarls of the ship to restrain him they would not be able to.

Tal started to pace after hearing what had happened. He had jumped off the ship so the Icecarls there could not hear him. He did not, could not believe it. Why would someone attack a ship and only leave with one person. Then it hit him. This was a clan of rogue Icecarls that hated the chosen and anyone who stood by them. Milla being War-Chief was a perfect target it would hurt the Icecarls leaving them vulnerable to attack.

It was then Tal felt rage build up inside him. He took off his gloves and looked at the Violet Keystone on his finger. It started to glow purple, and the light emitting from it started to grow. The color of the ring kept darkening and the light kept growing until it reached 200 stretches in all ways. The Icecarls on deck were in shock and partially blinded by this amount of light.

Malen could feel the rage in the air, and the power of the ring that was being emitted. Something wasn't right. There was something to the power that added to it. Then she felt it, pure hatred. This amount of power could destroy anything in its path. Then she saw an arm rise into the air and as soon as it reached max height all the energy was released into a pure beam of light 10 stretches across that kept rising until it was swallowed by the veil. The power of this blast could be seen from the Ruin Ship thousands of stretches away and was felt by the crones there; even though they experienced it all first hand through Malen. Then as the power began to decrease she heard a scream. It was not a scream of pain, but rather a scream of hatred and revenge. It was terrifying; Malen even saw the strongest of Icecarls back away afraid of the scream and power. Then as soon as it began it stopped and the figure in the center walked back towards and onto the ship.

The Icecarls all gave him a wide path as he walked back onto the ship, his eyes darting around, he spotted a pile of weapons that were taken from the bodies of the raiders earlier. He walked over and picked out a belt with a sheath, strapped it on, and filled the sheath with a broadsword. He then took another sheath out of the pile and threw it over his shoulder and slid another sword of equal size into it.

The Icecarls looked at him confused. They knew that both of those weapons are too heavy for one hand, but they dare not question him, out of fear and respect. They stayed out of his way as he crossed back over the ship with a knife in hand as he walked toward Malen.

Malen with a look of fear in her eyes thought he was going to kill her, but it all faded away as she saw his eyes grow soft. He flipped over the blade and handed it to her then pulled up his sleeve and showed her his wrist were there were already scars in the form of a triangle. Malen had not seen these on him before, they must he been from when he first appeared with the far raiders before the war in the castle and the battle with Sharrakor.

Tal looked at her quizzically then said "Malen, go ahead I know what to say." She looked at his wrist and with the knife made the three shallow cuts close to the same spot as the scars. As he started to bleed she took his wrist and he clenched his fist to keep the blood flowing. Tal then began the ritual "I give my blood to the wind, blood to the ice, by bone of the ship and blood to the clan I will bring back War-Chief Milla Talon-Hand, may the wind destroy me, and the ice freeze me if I fail." As he finished Malen shook his wrist and let the drop of blood be carried by the wind. Almost instantaneously he felt a newfound strength flow through him as he knew what he must do.

The Icecarls on board were stunned. How did the chosen Emperor know the binding ritual and have the oath memorized. If they did not fear him before they surely did now. The surprises they have encountered today from one young Chosen will follow them throughout their lives.

"Malen," Tal began "can you find were the ship went for me?"

"It will be difficult but I can try." She responded her eyes already glowing.

As she was searching Tal turned to the crew and gave them an order in his well practiced Emperor voice that demanded attention and respect. He began "Listen though it is your War-Chief and the leader of your ship you are not to follow me. I will deal with this by myself; there is no need for any more blood to be shed by you." He looked around as he spoke meeting each and every one of the eyes on the ship. "Understood?" He finished. With that they all bowed their heads slightly and clasped their knuckles together. They all knew that he would, since a bond like that was too strong for him to fail.

"I found them!" Malen exclaimed "They are North-West of here less than one sleep away."

"Thank you." Tal said simply as he ran off the ship and jumped into the sleigh he arrived on. With a loud yip and a swift crack of the reins the wreska bounded off. His focus was clear, first to find the ship, second to save Milla.


	3. Saving the Savior

Saving the Savior

It felt like she had been out cold for a lifetime. Her whole body was sore with a dull aching pain. Slowly she remembered what had happened as her eyes snapped open. Faintly she made out a dark room no longer than 20 stretches and half of that in width. Once her eyes adjusted she noticed her hands were tied behind her back with a pole in between them that rose from floor to ceiling. Her feet were also tied together but not to the pole. The floor and walls were smooth and there was no grit on the pole to grind her bindings against. As she tapped her foot on the floor, instead of hearing a usual tap of her boot, there was a soft gong. The room must have been made from gold just like the doors of the Hall of Greeting and Farewell in the castle. This meant it was a very old ship. Gold could not be penetrated by shadow; so this room must have been created to house captured spirits during the war thousands of years ago.

"I wonder where they found a ship like this," Milla murmured to herself. But quickly threw the thought away as she needed to find a way to escape. There was very little to no hope for a rescue so she had to rely on herself.

As she slipped into a calming rovkir breathing technique the door at the far end of the room opened breaking her concentration. A large man who seemed to fill the room entered.

"So the legendary War-Chief of the Icecarls is awake." He began clapping his knuckles together in a mocking respect. "I do not believe how easy it was to capture you. What happened to the warrior that fought in the castle?" He yelled as he let out a vicious sneer. "I thought it would be harder than this, but now with you we can continue to the next step of our pla…" He was interrupted as he felt the ship wobble.

"Who did you contact?" He roared at her. "How does anyone know where we are?" He had a look of confusion and rage in his eyes.

The truth is Milla had no idea who came or what they did to the ship.

Tal had been traveling for hours on the sleigh and he could feel the wreska tire. He sighed as he called them to a stop. He knew he was getting close. Ships are slow across the ice, so even if they were moving he could still catch them.

Tal walked around and one by one fed the four wreska of his sleigh. Once making sure they are alright he ventured out and around his sleigh, never going too far in case someone came along. When 50 stretches out in front of the sleigh Tal stumbled. He lifted up his mask and discovered deep ruts from something gliding across the ice.

Tal knew he was close. Tracks on the ice never lasted long, so he cautiously crept back to his sleigh and moved a ways away from the tracks to hide his movements as he came close. Once Tal felt he was far enough away to not be spotted he turned and traveled parallel to the tracks in the snow. "I'm coming Milla, just hold on." He thought readying himself.

Tal could see the faint glow of the ship through the darkness, the ship seemed to be moored but no one could be seen moving around on the ice. It was not as large as the ship of the Far Raiders clan he was on all those years ago. He began searching his sleigh to see what supplies he could find. After combing through the whole sleigh he found a rope with a grappling hook, an Icecarl mask different than his, and a pair of bone skates. The mask was like any other normal Icecarl mask with the amber eyes and being white, but this one was ornately designed with Icecarl runes and designs in a bright luminescent paint. He figured that this would give him a scarier look and would give him a slight advantage. He swapped it out with the one he was wearing and only then did he notice how cold it was this day. It was always cold out on the ice but today had something different in the air.

"Well I might as well get this over with." Tal said to his voice muffled by the mask. He strapped on his skates after spending time actually trying to figure out how they attached to the boot. He knew how to skate, when his family would travel to Aenir it was one activity he enjoyed.

Once the grappling hook was securely attached to his belt he set off skating fast and low from snow dune to snow dune. He knew his chances of success depended on getting as close to the ship as he could without being spotted. If things went as planned he would encounter light resistance on his way below deck, where he figured they would hold Milla.

Tal was drawing close to the ship when he finally decided the first phase of his plan would begin. He planned to shoot a Red Ray of Destruction at the mast of the ship and as it fell move around to a different side of the ship and board amongst the confusion. Tal knew he would only have one shot at the mast a second would give away his position even more and assailants would be upon him within minutes. So as he took off his glove to reveal the Violet keystone he steadied his breathing as he was taught to do when training with his father when practicing his aim. He steadied his arm as he called forth a Red Ray with enough Destructive force to take down the mast. The smaller the beam the better but Tal knew he would have to guess at the size of beam needed to cause enough structural damage to make the beam fall. There was no sense in waiting any longer, so with a deep breath Tal let loose the power he had been building.

Tal saw the beam of red light connect with the mast and held his breath his eyes willing the mast to fall. Slowly the mast began to lean toward one side and begin to fall. As soon as the mast began to fall Tal dashed forward from his hiding place and skated towards the front end of the ship. He could tell by the screams and the cries for help that some were crushed by the mast but Tal did not care right then. He had a mission to complete and he knew there would be collateral damage.

Tal advanced to the front of the ship unnoticed. As he quickly looked around he took out the grappling hook off his belt and let it fly up toward the railing of the ship. It hooked on and Tal gave it a quick tug to make sure it could support his weight. When he decided it could he hoisted himself up hand over hand to the railing and climbed on over. This action however did not go unnoticed. There was a cry of alert as one Icecarl called out that there was an attack on the ship. But before he could finish Tal had already buried his sword in the Icecarl's chest. Tal proceeded to hack and slash at anyone who opposed him as he made his way below deck. The resistance below deck seemed to decline as he made his way deeper into the bowels of the ship. There was none that came to fight him that could stand a chance. He seemed to be fueled by a boundless pit of power.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Tal screamed. He was losing his mind wandering the corridors of this ship.

He called forth light from his sunstone to get his bearings and look at his surroundings. As more light flooded the hallway he saw a reflection at the end of the hall. Squinting to get a better look at what was reflecting the light Tal spied a golden doorway. "This ship must be very old," Tal thought as he walked toward it sword held high in his right hand. Reaching the door at the end of the hallway Tal made his sunstone go dormant. He then grabbed the door handle and with one swift motion opened the door and jumped in. All he saw in the large room was a big man, but as the man turned and started to talk he saw her.

"Milla!" Tal said louder than he wanted.

The large man was glaring at her with his back to the door as it swung open. The big man released his glare and turned to talk to whoever entered.

"Well? What happened out there?" He started to ask before he stopped with words caught in his throat. In front of him was a warrior coated with blood and a mask that glowed. As he looked closer he noticed there were runes along the ridge of the mask. He became scared as he read "The Reckoning."

"Who are you?" The large man asked and with a swift motion the warrior pulled up the mask and Milla gasped.

"Tal?" she asked stunned. He gave her a quick wink before returning his glare to the man in front of him.

"Tal? You mean that this here is the chosen Emperor?" He said in a chuckle "So now I have both living legends here with me, man I should be honored."

"What is your name if you do not mind me asking?" Tal sneered back at the man.

"Why does it concern you?" replied the man looking bored.

"So I can make an example out of you after I kill you." Tal replied with an amused chuckle in his voice.

"Fine if it means that much to you, I am called Drakir the Banished, and you will fall to my hand." Drakir responded as he moved over to Milla.

"If you touch her I will make your death long and painful." Screamed Tal

"Oh so you like the War-Chief here eh?" replied Drakir smoothly as he moved even closer to Milla and lifted her head to look at him. "Then you would really be mad if I did this." Just as Drakir finished his sentence he bent down to Milla and kissed her on the lips.

When Tal saw this something inside him snapped. He felt rage well up inside of him and he started shaking. He had a new strength that he had never felt before. He balled his free hand into a fist and punched at the wall. Upon the impact of Tal's fist and the wall, the wall buckled and Tal's hand went right through.

Drakir felt fear as he saw this. This boy had punched a hole straight through the metal wall. Once the hand was pulled back and Tal looked up Drakir noticed a change in the boy's face. His pupils were gone all that was left was his white eyes glaring at him. Drakir knew then that he made a mistake enraging Tal and that he was going to pay for it.

"Tal?" Milla said softly also noticing the change in her rescuer's face. What had happened? What did Tal do to change his appearance and his strength like that? Tal then screamed a loud inhuman scream. It sounded more like a enraged merwin than a human's scream. It sent chills down her spine and made her fear what he had become.

"YOU! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Tal screamed in the same beastly voice. But before he could make a movement more Icecarls entered the room bows drawn and weapons at the ready. Milla counted six fighters not including Drakir. How was Tal going to survive an attack from all of them? As far as she knew he had no combat training.

Before anyone could react Tal had drawn his second sword from the sheath on his back and struck down the two closest Icecarls. They died with a look of shock on their faces as they had no time to defend themselves. The other Icecarls seeing their comrades killed in front of them started their attack with two letting arrows fly as the other two attacked with their swords.

Arrows wizzed past Tal and one had struck him in the shoulder but he seemed to not even notice. With surprising strength he swung both of his swords horizontally from both directions and both fighters went to parry the attack, but as soon as the four swords collided the weapons were knocked from their hands with unimaginable strength. The two Icecarls had no chance as Tal, or what Tal was, corrected his swings and brought them down upon both of the Icecarls heads with a splattering of blood. Both collapsed with an attempt to scream in their faces but were both dead before a sound could be issued. Tal looked at the last two attackers in front of him with a rage that seemed to never subside. They were both about to turn and run but before they could they noticed Drakir was bearing down on Tal with a large double sided axe. Unfortunately for Drakir, Tal's enhanced state of fighting helped him notice the attack coming from behind. Tal turned with amazing speed and crossed his blades as the axe came down in between them getting caught. Drakir let out a gasp at the surprising speed that blocked his attack.

Unfortunately for Tal however, when the axe struck the swords cut clean through the handle and the head of the axe came spinning down and cut a deep gash along his side. Even still Tal did not flinch at the pain. He seemed to be unaware of it completely. As Tal's back was turned toward the two remaining attackers behind him, they both let arrows fly straight at his back leaving it looking like the spines along the back of a perwal.

Tal still had his swords crossed and raised. Before Drakir could bring his sword an inch out of his sheath Tal had jumped forward and slid his blades along each other decapitating Drakir in one clean cut. At seeing their leader's head cut off the two remaining Icecarls decided it was time to run. As they ran down the hallway the way they came they both felt something hit their backs and continue right through their bodies ripping through organs. Tal had retrieved two knives from Drakir's body and let them fly right at the two remaining attackers killing them instantly.

Milla looked horrified as she saw seven Icecarls viciously cut down by her childhood friend who was not the same as he had once been. As he turned his gaze to her she closed her eyes in fear and waited to be killed like the others. But, as she heard the steps come close to her and stop she felt the ties on her hands and feet that held her to the pole get cut. Her eyes opened instantly as she fell forward. She braced for the hard fall but she was caught by Tal. Milla looked up into his face and didn't see the rage and hatred anymore, as she looked into his eyes she noticed the color come back slowly and soon they were the normal brown as she had remembered. Tal smiled as he looked at her and then drifted off into unconsciousness.

"Great now that I am rescued I have to save my savior." Milla chuckled as she half carried half dragged Tal's body out of the room past the bodies of his assailants. She could see he was losing a lot of blood and would not survive if she could not stop it. But there was no place to heal a wound here on the ship that she was once a captive of.

The only way she found her way to the deck was by following the gruesome trail of bodies that Tal had no doubt left as he fought his way to her. She had thought him to be so soft. What had changed in him to be so open to killing all those who stood in his way? Milla had felt nauseous as she saw the condition of some of the bodies strewn about. Even for Icecarl standards this was a brutal massacre and suffering was not spared from those who had been struck down. The bodies had hack marks and cuts all over as if Tal had meant to make them suffer with each and every wound he had dealt. Milla had started to become afraid of what she was carrying. Who was this new man and what happened to the gentle awkward Tal that she knew from her childhood?

Once stepping onto the deck she noticed that there was little left to it. The mast that once stood tall had crashed to the ice and from the look of the burn marks on the bone of the mast left standing Milla could tell it was Tal who had caused this damage. He must have destroyed the mast and used it as a distraction to draw close and board the ship, then strike down any who opposed him Milla thought with a slow chill creeping down her spine. Just as she reached the edge of the ship looking for how Tal had chased the ship Tal awoke from his unconsciousness and muttered that he had stashed the sleigh a hundred stretches off behind a snow dune in the direction he pointed. As soon as consciousness had been restored to Tal it had faded again as Milla struggled to carry his body while scaling the side of the ship to the bottom.

She was exhausted from carrying him as they neared the sleigh Tal had arrived on. But, she noted the pale color in his face as blood continued to seep from his furs. She had to treat him as best she could. If she could not stop the bleeding he would not wake to be in the world of the living. She took a knife from his belt and cut open his furs and almost puked as she saw the large gash in Tal's left hip. Flesh had been torn to reveal muscle tendons and bone."No" she thought to herself then said aloud to reassure herself "NO! I cannot let my nausea stop me from helping him." She gulped as she took his cold hand and pulled off the Violet keystone from his ring finger. She held the glowing stone in a tight grasp and used all of her focus to call forth a Blue Ray of Healing from the ring to stop the bleeding and to quell the pain that Tal would feel upon returning to consciousness. Continuing her focus on the Violet keystone Milla pulled out her own sunstone from a hidden pocket on the inside of her inner firs. From this sunstone she called forth a Yellow Ray of Re-growth to replace all damaged tendons muscles and flesh. No matter how much focus she put into the Yellow Ray she could not get the cut to close. It was as if Tal's body did not have enough power left to be able to regenerate the cells that were lost even with the help of light magic.

Not being able to hold on any longer Milla lost concentration on both sunstones and the light returned to their depths. She could not save him herself and felt that she had failed him as he had never failed her. She looked down with tears in her eyes to notice some color return to Tal's face. She had stopped the bleeding from the gash in his side and the holes from the arrows in his back. The places where the arrows had pierced him had seemed to heal over, but the gash in Tal's side refused to heal at all.

She looked away to study her surroundings to figure out which way she could go to get help. As she gazed out to the ice she heard a faint cough come from behind her. Milla watched with shock in her eyes as Tal opened his. His eyes quickly searching to figure out where he was as it all crashed back into him in an instant. He tried to sit up but Milla had held him firmly down and with a quick movement covered the wound in his side.

"Milla!" Tal said urgently

"What is it Tal?" Milla asked frightened

"We have to go back." He said quickly with urgency in his eyes.

"WHAT? Why do we have to go back to where you fought your way to rescue me?" She asked confused and angry

Tal simply smiled and let out a weak chuckle as she had fallen for his joke. "Isn't it an old Icecarl joke to say one had to repeat a great danger right after it had been avoided?' Tal said simply as he remembered Milla using the same type of joke on Tal when they crossed the canyon near the castle when they were young.

Milla had no patience for a simple joke. He must have not realized that his life was in danger if he could not be treated soon. She gave him a hateful glare and Tal understood immediately that it was not the time for a joke. Tal had noticed Milla putting a fur over his side just as he faded into consciousness, he wondered what for as he pulled it away.

Milla was too slow to stop him from revealing his wound to his eyes. Tal just stared down in shock at the muscle and bone that had been revealed. "How did I get this?" He questioned confused and nauseated "All I remember was fighting my way to the room with the gold door and entering the room. When did this happen? How did this happen?" too many questions came to mind as a sickness came to him and almost forced himself back into unconsciousness. Before he could slip off Milla grabbed his hand getting his attention.

"Tal we need to get you to Malen so she can save you! Which way did you come from? How far away should the ship be?

"Less than one sleep that way." Tal said with each word getting weaker. His arm raised and pointed the direction and as quickly as it had risen it fell and Tal left the world of the conscious and traveled back into the spiraling inferno that was unconsciousness.

After quickly securing Tal's body to the deck of the sleigh with rope she had found Milla had snapped the reigns and let out a sharp yip and the wreska pulling the sled burst forward following the orders of their driver. Milla had turned the sleigh toward the direction that Tal had pointed out to her and hoped that she was not that far away. Sickness could get in through Tal's wound and make it even worse. She glanced down at the body strapped to the deck. How she admired him, he was able to see a wound like that and still have enough control to focus his thoughts and give directions before giving in to the unconsciousness that claimed him.

The voyage back to The Reckoner seemed to be short but Milla knew that it was her anxiousness to help Tal that had spurred time on. She saw the glow of her small ship and increase the speed of the wreska by whipping the reins harder and harder. She knew that mere moments could mean the difference between life and death for Tal.

The warriors of The Reckoner noticed a small sleigh speed toward their ship. When the sleigh came closer the warriors let out a cheer as they noticed it to be Milla. A few went down to the ice to greet her as she stopped and as they were cheering their thanks for her safe return the small group fell silent immediately. The remaining warriors on the ship wondered what had happened to make the cheerful greeting grow quiet. It was then they notice the small group coming back with Milla in the lead while the group carried something, but due to the darkness they could not make out the object. It was as the group came up the ramp and up to the deck that they saw who it was. It was the man who swore an oath to bring back their War-Chief. The Emperor of the castle himself was being carried past and into Milla's cabin. He looked pale as he was carried past. Only the few that gazed at him and saw the left side of his body saw the gash that was near his hip. The bone and muscle showed giving even the strongest of the warriors a nauseated feeling in their stomachs. They knew there would be no celebration tonight for the return of the War-Chief, there was only time for praying to the gods to have mercy on this young man.

Malen shook her head in exhaustion as she looked up from Tal's wound. She had dressed it and treated it of any infection that was found when traveling on the ice. No matter what spells she had tried they all proved to be of no use. For some reason the wound that Tal had suffered refused to close and heal.

Milla shook her head in fear as she held his hand and looked at Malen. She knew that look; there was nothing that Malen could do to help Tal. She felt tears form in the corner of her eyes. She could not bear to let him go. He had risked his life to save her from her captors and now he has a terrible wound that refused to heal. She could do nothing for him that he had already done for her. All she could do was make sure he was comfortable in his unconscious state.

"Milla get some rest." Began Malen "I will tell the crones of what is happening and will ask them for advice and help."

"No." Milla said coldly "I cannot leave his side. If it were I in his stead I know he would do the same."

Malen knowing that Milla could not be convinced left the cabin and went to her own quarters below deck to speak to the collective of crones.

"I cannot leave Tal's side" Milla thought. "It is my fault for giving him the chance to come and save me. I should have been stronger" She started to say out loud and beginning to shake with anger. "It is because I am weak that he had to risk his life to come out and save me." She stood and started pacing the room. "I am not worthy to be War-Chief. I am not worthy to be Tal's friend if I place him in danger. I am not…" she stopped as she was interrupted.

"Shut up" Tal said angrily as he glared at Milla from the bed he was resting on. "It is not your fault for what happened to me." He said as he slowly started to calm down, but the strain of fighting the pain that tried to force him back into unconsciousness was evident on his face.

"Tal stop talking, save your strength" Milla pleaded as she moved closer to him.

"Not until I have said what must be said" Replied Tal coyly with a painful smirk.

Milla nodded but continued towards him and laid him back down on the bed.

"In all honesty there is no reason why I should be laying here injured. If my father had it his way I would be confined to my quarters only to sign documents and sleep. I left the castle on an instinct. I do not know how or why, but I had a feeling that I was needed out here on the ice. What drove me to that instinct I do not know, but I know that it lead me to do the right thing." Tal started to breathe heavier as the strain against passing out was increasing."I know that you are strong, you are the only person I know worthy to be War-Chief, and you are the only person I consider as my greatest friend. Do not take what has happened to me out on yourself." Gathering the rest of his conscious strength Tal lifted his hand and grasped hers. He gave it one tight squeeze and let the darkness of unconsciousness take him once again.

Milla just stayed kneeled next to the bed Tal was on, his hand still in her grip. Beating herself up about what happened seemed to put more strain on Tal than it did to her. How had he known what she was saying? Did he awake just in time to hear it or did he hear it subconsciously and forced himself to wake and confront her. "He is truly one amazing person." Milla thought as she heard her door open.

Malen entered quickly her eyes dimming as she spoke. "Milla the crones have informed me that they have seen this before. It can only be cured by a collective of crones. We have been ordered to deliver Tal to the Ruin Ship as fast as we can. Time is of the essence, the crones fear he does not have much time."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Order the crew to make way for the ruin ship with all haste. We must not delay.' Milla finished quickly with the dullness from the lack of sleep and excess stress dimming and her normal gaze returning.

Milla then walked over to Tal and placed her had gently on his forehead. "You hear that Tal? We are going to get you some help and you will be back to your old ways." Her words subsiding with her hand still placed gently on his forehead.


	4. Inside the Keystone

Inside the Keystone

They had been traveling for hours and the time had been getting to Milla. For her, time could not be passing fast enough. Every minute to her seemed like an eternity. Malen attributed this to a lack of sleep and kept up her attempts to get Milla to sleep. Milla refused every time saying she promised herself not to rest until Tal had been healed. Until then she would do anything she could for him.

Tal had woken several times throughout the day, but due to the pain he was never awake for long. Whenever he was awake he wouldn't say anything, he would only look at Milla. He could see the stress and fatigue on her face. Dark circles under her eyes told him that she had not slept and streaks of tears could be seen from when she would cry. Tal found this to be the most disturbing. Ever since he had known her she had never shed a single tear in front of him. What had happened to the warrior mask she wore as an emotion for the entirety of their childhood quest?

It was the third time Tal had woken during the first day of travel to the Ruin Ship. When he looked at Milla he could still tell she had not slept. He was sick of it, and figured it was time to do something about it. He stole a quick glance at his sunstone on the table to his right and had an idea as soon as Malen walked into the room. He figured it would be his best chance to put his plan into action, due to not knowing how long he could stay awake.

"Hey Milla could you get me something to drink?" Tal asked with a small smile. "I would myself but I know you will not let me move."

"Of course Tal" Milla replied softly, feeling happy and enraged that he was speaking. She knew how much strength it would sap from him.

As Milla left the room Tal waited till the door was shut and immediately looked to Malen.

"Malen give me my sunstone" Tal demanded.

"You cannot heal yourself with it; it is beyond its power" Malen responded while handing his sunstone back to him.

"It isn't for me," Tal began "Milla needs rest. I can see it in her face. She probably hasn't slept since she was kidnapped from the ship. It isn't good for her, so get ready to catch her, you will know when." Tal said as he finished slipping his sunstone ring onto his finger and hid it beneath his pillow.

Malen just stood there dumbfounded. How could he worry about others in the state he is in? When he is conscious he doesn't show pain or discomfort, he only shows worry for those in the room. It must be a trait he has picked up being Emperor. She just finished her thought as she heard the door open and she made to pretend she was just finishing changing Tal's bandaging. Milla had walked over and gave Tal the cup of water she was holding.

When taking a drink from the cup Tal shot a glance to Malen and she had immediately took a step back and prepared to catch Milla. He set the cup down on the table where his sunstone had been sitting. Tal noticed Milla's eyes looking to the table with confusion and he knew she noticed the sunstone was missing.

"Tal, where is your suns…" Milla began as she was showered with a blue light. Milla's eyes turned quickly toward the light and she saw Tal partially sitting up with his arm extended and his sunstone casting a pale blue light. She felt tired and noticed she could not control her body. What was he doing? He is in no condition to be using a sunstone.

"Tal...why?" Milla asked before she fell into a deep sleep.

Malen caught Milla's body with ease and saw what seemed to be the flaw in Tal's idea

"Umm where do you want me to put her?" Malen asked "It would be weird to see me dragging Milla below deck to the bunks."

"Put her next to me on the bed." Tal replied calmly. The bed was easily big enough for the two of them. Tal assumed it to be the same size in the one in his room in the Violet tower. He had already shifted his body over to the left side of the bed.

Malen moved over and laid down Milla next to Tal. She could see the amount of strain that using his sunstone caused. Even though he had used a lot of his energy and looked mentally and physically drained; she could sense a feeling of relief in his eyes as he looked at Milla's sleeping form. He turned his head toward Malen and gave her a smile before he relaxed and passed out. Malen knew he would not be opening his eyes for the rest of the trip to the Ruin Ship.

Milla did not know what had happened. One second she was looking at Tal with a blue light washed over her coming from his sunstone; and in the next she found herself where she always goes when she is asleep. She rarely dreams, she usually finds herself inside her own mind with her thoughts while her physical body rests. But this place seemed different. There seemed to be a door right in the middle of the wall she was looking at. She had never seen it before when she slept. The door had a bright light shining through the cracks. The whole door seemed to glow with a rainbow light much like the light that appeared when she entered Aenir with Tal.

Out of curiosity Milla walked over to the door to investigate. Just as she had suspected, the door was made of light. Though solid the door was as light as air as she pushed it open. She was almost immediately blinded. The light going through the door was more intense than the light she had seen in Aenir. Bravely, Milla squinted and walked through the door. As she crossed the plain the light dimmed considerably but it was still bright outside. Due to the way she glowed and how light on her feet she felt, she figured that she was in Aenir. But why? Why did her mind take her to Aenir. Then she saw a faint glimmer of light in the distance, and heard the thud of a weapon hitting something. Curiosity took over and she crept slowly towards the object in the distance.

As she drew closer she immediately recognized Tal. He was training with a sword but as she had moved closer it seemed he was practicing some hand to hand combat with what looked like a sac hanging from a tree. For some reason she felt anxious as she watched him hit the bag over and over again. Slowly a grin came to her face. Crouched low to the ground and moving quick and quiet she got close to Tal before she broke out into a full sprint directly at him. She had thought he didn't know she was there as she sprung and tackled him to the ground; in midair he had rolled her over with surprising speed and pinned her to the ground with a smile on his face.

"Got ya" Tal said beaming triumphantly.

All Milla could do was sit with her mouth open in surprise. She had never expected him to be that quick.

"How did you know I was coming?" Milla asked with a curious smirk on her face.

"You do not know where we are do you?" Tal said offering her a hand.

Milla shook her head while taking the kind gesture. "It reminds me of Aenir due to how my body looks and feels, but at the same time there is a difference in this place than there was when we were there." Milla replied while looking around at her surroundings. She noticed that other than the one tree and an assortment of training dummies, the world was completely flat and empty.

"You thirsty?" Tal asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind having something to drink, but there is no water in sight." Milla said perplexed.

Just as she had finished her sentence and looked back towards Tal she was confused as he was holding two mugs of liquid in his hands offering her one. They seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Where did those come from?" Milla asked very confused slowly taking the mug from him in case it was just an illusion.

"You still haven't figured out where we are yet have you? This should clear things up." Tal said as his eyes grew bright for a second. "There now look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

Milla looked up after taking a sip of her drink. She could see her own body lying down in a bed. As she rotated she noticed another figure lying next to her. It was Tal, it was as if she was looking at both of their bodies from Tal's right hand; and then she remembered. Tal had his sunstone on his right hand when he cast the blue light over her.

"Are we…are we in the Violet keystone?" Milla asked in amazement.

"You are correct" Tal beamed "To put it simply, in here I can do whatever I want, create whatever I want, and have anyone I want to accompany me. I have found it useful to work out problems and thoughts while my physical body sleeps. I also have found it useful to keep an eye on a young Icecarl that has been by my bedside. If I feel like it I can hear and see anything that happens in a close proximity to my body " Tal finished with a wink.

"So you have been spying on me then?" Milla asked with an emotion in her eyes that Tal couldn't define as rage or playfulness. "I guess that explains how you knew what I was saying before you woke up and scolded me. Wait does that mean you could be conscious at any time?" Milla finished with confusion.

"Sort of, yes it does, and not really." Tal answered in quick succession. "I can try to force my way back into consciousness, but I do not have the ability to do so when I want to. It is based on restrictions set by my physical body. I can force myself only if my body is strong enough. However it takes a lot of energy to do so."

"You are not to do so until you are fully healed!" Milla commanded her voice rising in pitch.

"O.K I understand fully." Tal replied slightly scared. He did not like the idea of what would happen if he did.

"So why did you summon my mind here?" Milla asked with a spark of interest in her eyes.

"Well as you have probably already figured out. I cast a Blue Ray of Calming directly into your mind. This sedated you and made you fall asleep; hence why you are lying in the bed next to me. I had figured since we are both out cold currently we could use the rest of the time it takes to get to the Ruin Ship to catch up. It has felt like an eternity since I have actually had a conversation with you." Tal looked away as he finished his rambling. "I could also send you back to your own mind if you would like."

"No I think it would be best for me to stay here. I would like to explore the powers of being inside a sunstone." Milla replied softly blending an excuse in to make it seem less likely that she just wants to stay near him for a while.

Tal sensed something different from Milla, something that was faintly there when he last saw her, but was locked up to avoid being shown.

Milla felt awkward with Tal just standing there with an inquisitive gaze, so she quickly changed the topic.

"So why were you training when I first arrived?" Milla said sternly

"Oh…well I just figured I might as well practice something while I'm in here. I picked up what I could from the Imperial Guards, but there seems to be a lack of finesse with the training I'm doing here. Maybe it would be better if I had an instructor." Tal replied with an avoiding gaze after dropping a large hint.

"I see, so you want to learn how to fight the Icecarl way? I don't know why I should; you seemed to handle yourself fine when you saved me from the ship." Milla teased trying to pry some information out of him.

"Well that is a different circumstance, I was empowered to say the least and there was no one who would be able to keep me from my goal. On a secondary note I would like to add I do not remember anything in-between finding you in the room and my spurts of consciousness when guiding you back to the sleigh." Tal said half turned away trying to hide what he actually did.

Milla shuddered as she remembered the gruesome event. It haunted her, the beast that was once Tal kept her awake. His face at that point is the reason she did not want to be by herself in her own mind. The bloodlust and anger that drove him to mercilessly kill those who tried to stop him, does not leave her mind whenever she sees his face.

Milla trying to divert the subject again exclaimed "Even if I did agree to train you we lack the equipment to do so, and besides it would take a lot more time to begin training than the remaining distance to the Ruin Ship."

Tal turned back to her and smiled, "So you have already forgot of what I am capable of producing inside my own sunstone." Just as he finished talking the whole environment changed to that of the training grounds set up by the Far Raider clan that Milla once belonged to. They had all the armaments of any Icecarl and in one area set aside was a set of mats used for sparring.

"Does this suit the training conditions?" Tal asked playfully

"We still have the time constraint." Milla replied after recovering from the major change in scenery that took place in an instant.

"Ahh but we don't." Tal began. "You see, here in my sunstone I can control time. I cannot make time move faster, but I can make a second in the real world last weeks in here. So I believe that we will be able to stay here until you get sick of me. I guess that also means that if we will be staying here we will need somewhere to sleep and eat." With that said a one story house the size of Milla's ship appeared.

"You amaze me sometimes," Milla began and after a side thought "Why do we have to eat and sleep here? It is only our minds that are here so there should be no strain of living."

"That is the only complicated part I cannot fully explain yet. I assume that even though we are not in our physical bodies, the effects of living inside a sunstone attributes the same factors to whatever is inside. In short meaning that we will still tire, thirst, and hunger over time." Tal explained his face a soft shade of pink after the compliment. "The house there is furnished with all the amenities of a room in the castle. There are two bedrooms, one washroom with running water, a kitchen, and a dining room. Oh and I almost forgot, I have entwined your mind into the power of my sunstone, so as long as you are here you can conjure up whatever you want just as I did. Go ahead and try it out, just concentrate on anything you want and where you want it to appear."

Milla amazed by the power she was granted is stunned for a second while thinking of something she wanted. When she finally picked out what she wanted she held out her hand and concentrated, and to her surprise a second later she was holding a merwin sword in her outstretched arm. In her excitement she kept thinking of more and more things that kept popping up around her. She was so exhilarated by the power she held she didn't even feel the drain on her energy. After summoning a target to throw her knives at she felt dizzy and began to fall. Milla braced for the impact that was bound to come, but it never did. She relaxed and looked back up and was surprised to see Tal holding her. Her cheeks flashed a deep scarlet as her embarrassment washed over her.

"I didn't get to explain this before you started, but it takes energy to summon items. Since you are only tied in to a part of my power you cannot summon as much as I can and not feel fatigue. How about we call it a day and get some rest?" Tal finished softly while putting her back onto her feet.

They both walked into the house and after saying goodnight went into their separate rooms. Milla was surprised to find a large bed that was softer than anything she had ever felt. It was a luxury she had not known. She crossed to the wardrobe on the far side of the room and picked out a light shirt and a pair of soft shorts to change into. She knew she would not need to wear her furs due to the heavy blanket on the bed. She relaxed into bed with a sigh and wondered what she would explore inside the sunstone when she woke.

Despite Milla's best efforts she could not fall asleep. The image of Tal's bloodthirsty and rage filled face was always there when she closed her eyes. She was afraid of what he became. Even though he did not show it, she could still sense it somewhere deep within waiting for it's power to be called on.

Tal was just as tired as Milla. He also couldn't find sleep no matter how hard he tried. His mind kept going back to Milla and how she looked. She had changed over the few years they had not seen each other. Her eyes were softer than usual, not always containing the look of a warrior. She had grown several inches and with it more and more feminine. Her curves allured him when he caught her. He could not stop thinking about how beautiful she looked. He was so deep in thought he didn't even hear the door to his room open. He didn't even notice that Milla was in bed with him until he turned and saw her staring into his eyes. Whenever they were this close when they were younger it was to share warmth, but this was not the case this time. She had a discreet scared look in her eyes that Tal had never seen before. He wondered what was causing this, but figured he would find out later. She had rolled back over and scooted her body next to his, Tal without thinking put his arm around her waist and held her tight until he heard her breathing soften as she fell asleep. It was only then he could relax and doze off into his dreams.


End file.
